Songbirds for Sale Our World


Songbirds for Sale

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Now on BBC News, it's time for Our World.

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BIRDSONG. The lush tropical forests of Java. The civilisation encroaches

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on -- as civilisation encroaches, only pockets remain. And they are

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falling silent. Songbirds are disappearing from the wild. Trapped

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from the forest, sold as singing pets and status symbols. I am

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Victoria Gill and I am in Jakarta that to investigate the in social

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will commence for songbirds that are now driving an extinction crisis.

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People always want to buy songbirds? We really are firefighting, we are

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saving the last of the last. This bird may be the only one of its kind

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left on the planet. This bird in here could be the last of its kind?

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Yes. Java, the largest and most crowded

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island in Indonesia. Home to more than 140 million people. Cities,

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towns and villages seemed to squeeze into every available space. There is

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very little pristine forest left here, but just a few square, this

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can be home to hundreds of animals and birds. Some are found only on

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this island. And some are critically endangered. But it is many of Java's

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songbirds that have now slipped under the conservation radar to the

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very brink of extinction. A recent global conservation review revealed

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that 19 species are now trapped in such high numbers that they are in

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danger of going out -- dying out. Human activity is driving species

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towards extinction around the world. But here, where bustling megacities

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reach into tropical rainforest, it is a microcosm of that global

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crisis. So how has the trade in trapped songbirds reached such a

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tipping point? And can anything be done to save them? This is our

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guide, on the steep slopes of the mountain. He knows this forest

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inside out, it is where he made his living hunting and trapping. This is

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just showing me how you make a bird trap out of just sticks from the

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trees around you and a piece of string.

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What was to trapping four, where would those birds go?

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He is no longer in the bird trapping business, he has been able to

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convert this knowledge of the forest into conservation work. But many

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people still take birds from here. Networks of travellers operate

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across this country, clearing the forests of birds. -- trappers. We

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are surrounded by trees. It looks a very good bird habitat, but actually

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there is very little song. It is strangely quiet here. But there is

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one place you are guaranteed to find thousands of songbirds. BIRDSONG.

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This is Pramuka Market, it is the largest wildlife market in Asia,

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possibly the world. And it is crammed with caged birds. There can

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be more than 16,000 birds the sale here in a single day, more than 200

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different species. There are three markets like this just in Jakarta,

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is that gives you the idea of the scale of this market. Just auditory,

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the senses, it is incredible. It is a very noisy place, and it is quite

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unpleasant, the smell is quite acrid and overwhelming. For all it might

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seem to me like a strange, packed place with a strong smell, this is a

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centre of commerce and community here in Jakarta. In a growing

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economy, more and more people are spending their disposable income on

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the status symbol that is a valuable feathered pet.

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That is between about $20 and several thousand US dollars for a

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songbird. While songbirds fetched very high prices, many cost less

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than a dollar. They are more expensive to feed them they are to

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buy. People take dozens at a time, they are treated like disposable

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objects. This one here, this one, it lives up

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in the mountains of Sumatra. Andrew Allen has been working in bird

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conservation to more than three decades. He and his colleagues from

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zoos and wildlife conservation organisations around the world visit

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the market as those they can to study it. They are looking for

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protected birds being sold illegally, but the market can also

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show them which species are most at risk, what is most popular or an

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increase in price that might suggest a bird is becoming more rare. That

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bird there is one of the birds of extreme concern for us, it has been

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wiped out across all of this range, it is extinct in Java, it has been

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listed to endangered and the next at May be critically endangered.

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Researchers monitoring the trade found that most birds here are

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caught from the wild. Protected species are sold in markets.

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So why do so many people here want to own songbirds?

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Driving around you certainly see evidence of the demand. Bird cages

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hang outside shops and houses. But this goes well beyond the desire for

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a companion in a cage. How many do you have in your house? You lose

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count? Maybe five. We have come to visit Heri, a leader of the bird

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breeding Association PBI. He also organises events where competitors

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pick their singing birds against each other. Birdsong mackerel is

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what is the prize money? The prize is 5 million. Until maybe 1 billion.

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1 billion rupiah? 100,000 US dollars for the main prize. Wow. One of your

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birds is five times national champion? National champion.

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Valuable bird! (LAUGHS). While the big money is saved to the national

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championships, you can find smaller events across the country, every

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single weekend. We have heard a lot about bird singing competitions, and

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the accession with this country, and we have managed to arrange to go to

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one, about two hours from here, which I think in this traffic means

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about three miles away, if we ever make it.

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The bird breeders Association have given me a quote, and it is the

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official dress, so I have to wear a during the competition. I am a guest

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judge today, which should be interesting.

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Apparently the judges have to make a decision based on the bird's tone,

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volume and performance. See how that goes in that cacophony of birdsong

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that is about to commence. A first timer like me, this is a strange

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thing to witness. Let alone to judge. When caged male birds look

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around and see one another, they instinctively compete. Singing to

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claim their territory. The judges at signal their choice of winner with a

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flag. This is serious business. Tony is an Intel -- influential

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friend of the bird readers Association. A wealthy zoo owner who

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is well-known in bird breeding circles. He wants to help transform

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the bird trade. And a bird? Right. So to be a true

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man, you need a house, a wife, horses, a weapon, and the bird. Then

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you are a real Javanese. Then you are a real Javanese man, OK.

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Congratulations! All the birds in this competition are bred in

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captivity. This association has banned wild caught birds from its

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events. There is a small breeding centre at this venue. Five times a

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day? Yes, five times a day. Since I am a guest judge, Tony arranges for

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me to have a tour. Apparently I can feed one of the baby lovebirds. Is

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that tasty? All the birds here are all captive bred. Yeah. That is what

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you encourage? Right, right. Because if you breed

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them in captivity for competition, then you can save the birds in the

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wild? A good parent! There is no doubt that everyone he loved

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songbirds. -- everyone here loves. The prizewinners are an impeccable

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condition and undoubtedly give an impressive performance. Thank you,

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thank you. But does this love of birds, the desire so many people

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have to own one, mean that the future for the rarest, most

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beautiful singers is inside a cage? The critically endangered Javan

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part. -- green magpie. Perfectly camouflaged against tropical

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vegetation. But these birds have spent their lives in captivity. Up

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in the rural hills of west Java is a conservation breeding centre. While

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the mountain forests used to be home to thousands of these birds, almost

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all of the tiny remaining population is now housed here. For Andrew Allen

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this place is the focal point of his work on the songbird crisis. --

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Owen. This one is a young Javan pie that is bred here. -- pie. -- green

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magpie. This is one of the rarest birds on the planet? How many are

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left in the wild? There are 60 in the breeding programme, so 60 on the

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planet, that we know of, and maybe a handful in the wild. That makes this

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into the unlikely international hub proconservation mission. -- this

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centre. We have three magpies to examine. One needs shipping, all

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three of them sexing. This team, made up of white light that sender

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zoologists, is from Chester zoo in the UK. This one is aged 970... A

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juvenile bird has been caught a vital health check. He could be one

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60th of the entire world population. So the Chester that coaches the

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keepers in carrying out thorough assessments. These can be

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surprisingly risky. That is a privilege, it's a bit it and buy a

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critically endangered species. I'm not going anywhere near it with my

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fingers. Every bird has a tiny identification microchip implanted

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under its skin. Blood samples will also reveal which males and females

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are most genetically compatible. Every future chick is precious.

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Biological matchmaking is vital. For some, though, there might not even

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be the chance of reading in captivity. What is in here? In here

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we have a laughing thrush which is only found on the island of Java.

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And this particular bird is a subspecies that is only found on one

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mountain. This bird may be the only one of its kind left on the planet.

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This bird in here could be the last of this kind of word? Yeah. We know

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of no others. Of this species, the subspecies. Is it already too late

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for this bird, then? We hope not. We have plans to carry out surveys on

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the mountain to see if we can find more, and if we can come it will be

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an enormous relief. We really don't know at this stage. This may be the

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last word. So what is this bird called? This bird is called Azah,

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which in Indonesian means "The lonely one". With its bars, locks

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and fences, the centre almost looks like a prison. But security for all

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of the crippled the endangered species here is a priority. --

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critically endangered. All the birds here are incredibly valuable. So we

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have had an experience of the birds being stolen here in the past,

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during Ramadan in 2014. 150 140 birds were stolen. They just came

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in, took all the birds in one night. They took a lot of those, which is

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really impacted our breeding programme, because a lot of the best

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couples were in these blocks that were targeted. That must have an

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heartbreaking, to lose so many birds. Yes, the staff remember it is

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this awful time, coming in work finding the cages ripped open. If

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they got stolen again, that is probably it. It is difficult to

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comprehend that a break-in at this one remote centre could mean the

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extinction of a species. These birds, the rarest of the row, will

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remain here under lock and key. But is there anywhere left in Java where

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they can fly freely and safely? A stone 's throw from the chaos of the

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city is the safari park. This is a jungle fairgrounds, an eclectic home

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to creatures from all over the world. With its roots in the circus,

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it boasts animal shows and close encounters which have wrought

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criticism from animal rights campaigners. -- brought criticism.

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But there is a particular focus here on rural birds, and that is driven

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by its owner. Amazing. This is the surroundings of our park. 100

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hectares of land. So this is your land? Yes. After bringing me into

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the world of the singing competitions, Tony shows me around

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his park. He is using profits from the spot and attraction to fund an

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emergency response to his country's songbird conservation crisis.

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Instead of battling the bird trade, Tony is taking a market family

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approach. -- market friendly. He is working with bird owners and

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persuading them to lend their rare birds to special breeding

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programmes. The aim is to use these pets to breed of songbirds to meet

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the high demand. Flooding the market with the captive

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bred words actually encouraging their trade, might seem unorthodox.

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But he says it is working. And he is now going one step further. Hidden

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away from selfie snapping visitors is a very special bird reading

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programme. -- bird breeding. This is the aviary? How many on here? 11.

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Black winged mynahs, and other Indonesian songbird teetering on the

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brink of extension. Just 50 are estimated to remain in the wild.

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These birds were born and bred here. Now they are being set free.

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Oh, wow. So far, 15 birds have been released into what is a uniquely

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save forest haven. We are still within the safari park, not far from

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where the black winged mynahs have been released from the aviary. One

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of them has actually made a nest, and apparently there are some chicks

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in there. So it is making a small come back here at the safari park.

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It is a snapshot of success, of what these forests should look and sound

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like. But if wild songbirds are going to return to more than just

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small patches of private land, the widescale shopping has to stop. So

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is that realistic, and can it happen in time?

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In the village just minutes from the wildlife centre, there are signs

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that a real shift is under way. This is the element fiscal marching band.

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-- elementary school marching band. They are practising for a big

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parade. This celebration of Indonesia's independence, learning

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about multicultural history, is part of school life. But today the

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children are having a lesson that is brand-new to the curriculum. Lessons

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about the environment for these children, learning about the

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wildlife that is, or should be, on their doorstep, is not just a

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novelty. Conservationists say it is vital.

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This is absolutely a crisis. But something we have seen why we have

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been here is a passion for songbirds, in some cases an

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obsession with songbirds. And if that can be channelled, especially

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with the Next Generation, into admiring them in protecting them in

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the wild, then maybe some of these very threatened birds do have a

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future here. If we do nothing these species are all going to go extinct

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within the next decade, no doubt about that. We are doing everything

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we possibly can to ensure that these birds are back in the wild, with

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safe and sustainable populations, for future generations.

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Today's weather is brought to you courtesy of Storm Brian.

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